1. Field
The disclosure relates to audio and other media devices, and, in particular, to techniques for automatically detecting insertion of a media plug into a corresponding jack.
2. Background
Audio and other media devices often include a jack for receiving a media plug coupled to a peripheral device. For example, a mobile phone may include a jack for receiving a plug coupled to an audio headset with microphone, which allows a user to carry on a voice conversation over the mobile phone using the headset. Other example media devices include MP3 players, handheld gaming devices, tablets, personal computers, notebook computers, personal digital assistants, etc., while other peripheral devices include headphones, hearing-aid devices, personal computer speakers, home entertainment stereo speakers, etc.
A media device may be configured to take different actions depending on whether the peripheral device is plugged into the jack or not. For example, an MP3 player may route an audio signal to an audio headset when the headset is plugged in, and otherwise route the audio signal to built-in speakers. In certain implementations, one or two additional mechanical pins may be provided in the jack to detect whether a plug is inserted or not. Such additional pins generally need to be routed to an appropriate chip for processing, and further increase the cost of the device in terms of material, board area, chip area, chip pin count, jack size, etc. Furthermore, the form factor of the device may be adversely affected as well.
It would be desirable to provide efficient and robust techniques for automatically enabling a device to detect insertion of a media plug into a corresponding jack.